The Power of Love
Today, I'd like to talk to you about the power of love and how it is over-used, under-used, and misused in general. However, first, I need to explain to you a little something...
I'm all for romantic love. I think that if you can find that one person in the world that you want to be with for the rest of your days, more power to you. I am a bit of a closet romantic at times, in fact. My problem with romantic love comes from the fact that I know intellectually that in the 1100s romantic love was pretty much invented (then called "courtly love") when a woman by the name of Eleanor of Acquitaine took some of her father's and grandfather's ideas which later evolved into our current understanding of romantic love. I have no doubt that people love each other in romantic ways. There's no way my grandparents and some of my aunts and uncles would continue to put up with each other and each other's families if they didn't love each other in some romantic way. That doesn't change the fact that romantic love being was invented by lovesick French nobles and then modified by European royalty, evolving over the course of centuries.
That said, the Power of Love is awesome. It's also a pretty overused deus ex machina. When it's given to someone as a power (I'm looking at you, Ma-Ti from Captain Planet), they always make fun of it and play it off as incredibly pitiful. So, let's put this in prospective, the Power of Love can solve the most desperate of plot bunnies, but one person's Power of Love is worthy of mockery? Way for the world to be filled with jerks...
When I've seen the Power of Love done right, it isn't limited to romanitc love, it's expanded to all love... especially the love parents have for their children. In the Harry Potter series, Harry sacrifices his life (if you haven't read the last book by now and haven't learned this fact by some miracle before finding this blog, I'm not sorry) for the love of everyone at Hogwarts and thus protects them from all of Old Voldy's curses to the point that they just don't seem to stick. That is the Power of Love done right. Harry himself is saved from Old Voldy because his mother loved him so much, she died for him. The only use of the power of romantic love in the whole story is through Snape turning away from Old Voldy because he loved Lily Evans Potter and the fact that Harry's love for Ginny helped him hold onto hope for his whole year of Horcrux Hunting (they should make that a sport).
That's a good example of the Power of Love done right in my opinion. You want an example of the Power of Love done wrong? Alright!
Then end of the movie version of Stardust based on the novel by Neil Gaimen. Yvaine loves Tristan so much she goes super nova, burning a witch, but not Tristan... and Tristan becomes immortal. Yeah... I prefer the book version of events in that case, thank you very much. It was sadder but it wasn't stupid; it was fulfilling. Granted the movie is excellent and everyone should see it at least once.
Another example of the Power of Love gone stupid... the end of the Fifth Element. That's all I've got to say about that other than the fact that the movie is otherwise beautiful.
Also, how many Disney Death's are prevented by the Power of Love and Friendship? It happens, like, once per movie, doesn't it? The only times it made sense to me was in Beauty and the Beast (when the curse was broken by that love taking back the damage done by and to the Beast... though apparently it's hard to recover a person from falling off a cliff) and Tangled (when Rapunzel already had magical healing powers). Otherwise... if just feels cheap.
... Actually, the Tangled thing feels cheap too... Whatever.
And that's the problem when every fracking movie and book involves the Power of Love doing something wonderful and miraculous (or border-line miraculous). It makes the Power of Love cheap and it shouldn't be cheap! Love isn't supposed to be some cheap thing, you know? It's this wonderful, beautiful gift that people give each other and it should be treated as such, not, "Oh, I just met you yesterday, but I love you so come back to life and marry me!"
Pfft.
Blech.
I'm just waiting for some parody to have the person, whoever they are, wake up and say, "Wow! I think I would've prefered to stay dead!" and promptly die due to lack of the Power of Reciprocal Love. Wouldn't that be funny?
I think it'd the a great change of pace.
Of course, then there's the Power of Love being underused, like when a character has it as their super-power. I mean, love's supposed to be this great thing, something so powerful it keeps bringing those annoying Disney characters back to life... and it can make stars go supernova!
Seriously, why didn't she die from doing that? Why didn't he? Why wasn't the castle obliterated? It can fry a witch, but nothing else? What the hell? Sorry, off that tangent.
But, if you don't have enough Power of Love points, you end up like Ma-Ti. Lame and just... sad. I mean, in the olden times, every time anyone gave Eros (Cupid) guff for his power, he'd take out an arrow and show them just how powerful love can be... usually resulting in something pretty hilarious, sick, perverted, sad or all of the above.
Let's not forget how everyone constantly berates Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer who essentially is the butt-monkey of the group with no supernatural powers. Even in Season Seven some people treated him like crap after he saved the world by loving Willow even when she was evil.
Oh, and don't get me started on Charmed where the Power of Love is the power the Whitelighters have. What powers do they get from the Power of Love? Healing and teleportation. The most powerful force in world, even according to that universe's standards... and all you can do is heal? I get that healing is pretty pimped up stuff. No one else can do it... but still. These folks are supposed to be guardian angels that help you on the path to good. Had Aaron Spelling ever heard the phrase "good isn't always nice"?
So what do I want to read about?
1.) The Power of Love being applied to all kinds of love, not just romantic love.
2.) The Power of Love being used less as a deus ex machina and more as something built up to that makes sense within the given universe.
3.) The Power of Love actually being as, you know, powerful as everyone says it should be.
4.) The Power of Love just generally being used intelligently if it has to be used at all.
Can I get that? Please?
I'm all for romantic love. I think that if you can find that one person in the world that you want to be with for the rest of your days, more power to you. I am a bit of a closet romantic at times, in fact. My problem with romantic love comes from the fact that I know intellectually that in the 1100s romantic love was pretty much invented (then called "courtly love") when a woman by the name of Eleanor of Acquitaine took some of her father's and grandfather's ideas which later evolved into our current understanding of romantic love. I have no doubt that people love each other in romantic ways. There's no way my grandparents and some of my aunts and uncles would continue to put up with each other and each other's families if they didn't love each other in some romantic way. That doesn't change the fact that romantic love being was invented by lovesick French nobles and then modified by European royalty, evolving over the course of centuries.
That said, the Power of Love is awesome. It's also a pretty overused deus ex machina. When it's given to someone as a power (I'm looking at you, Ma-Ti from Captain Planet), they always make fun of it and play it off as incredibly pitiful. So, let's put this in prospective, the Power of Love can solve the most desperate of plot bunnies, but one person's Power of Love is worthy of mockery? Way for the world to be filled with jerks...
When I've seen the Power of Love done right, it isn't limited to romanitc love, it's expanded to all love... especially the love parents have for their children. In the Harry Potter series, Harry sacrifices his life (if you haven't read the last book by now and haven't learned this fact by some miracle before finding this blog, I'm not sorry) for the love of everyone at Hogwarts and thus protects them from all of Old Voldy's curses to the point that they just don't seem to stick. That is the Power of Love done right. Harry himself is saved from Old Voldy because his mother loved him so much, she died for him. The only use of the power of romantic love in the whole story is through Snape turning away from Old Voldy because he loved Lily Evans Potter and the fact that Harry's love for Ginny helped him hold onto hope for his whole year of Horcrux Hunting (they should make that a sport).
That's a good example of the Power of Love done right in my opinion. You want an example of the Power of Love done wrong? Alright!
Then end of the movie version of Stardust based on the novel by Neil Gaimen. Yvaine loves Tristan so much she goes super nova, burning a witch, but not Tristan... and Tristan becomes immortal. Yeah... I prefer the book version of events in that case, thank you very much. It was sadder but it wasn't stupid; it was fulfilling. Granted the movie is excellent and everyone should see it at least once.
Another example of the Power of Love gone stupid... the end of the Fifth Element. That's all I've got to say about that other than the fact that the movie is otherwise beautiful.
Also, how many Disney Death's are prevented by the Power of Love and Friendship? It happens, like, once per movie, doesn't it? The only times it made sense to me was in Beauty and the Beast (when the curse was broken by that love taking back the damage done by and to the Beast... though apparently it's hard to recover a person from falling off a cliff) and Tangled (when Rapunzel already had magical healing powers). Otherwise... if just feels cheap.
... Actually, the Tangled thing feels cheap too... Whatever.
And that's the problem when every fracking movie and book involves the Power of Love doing something wonderful and miraculous (or border-line miraculous). It makes the Power of Love cheap and it shouldn't be cheap! Love isn't supposed to be some cheap thing, you know? It's this wonderful, beautiful gift that people give each other and it should be treated as such, not, "Oh, I just met you yesterday, but I love you so come back to life and marry me!"
Pfft.
Blech.
I'm just waiting for some parody to have the person, whoever they are, wake up and say, "Wow! I think I would've prefered to stay dead!" and promptly die due to lack of the Power of Reciprocal Love. Wouldn't that be funny?
I think it'd the a great change of pace.
Of course, then there's the Power of Love being underused, like when a character has it as their super-power. I mean, love's supposed to be this great thing, something so powerful it keeps bringing those annoying Disney characters back to life... and it can make stars go supernova!
Seriously, why didn't she die from doing that? Why didn't he? Why wasn't the castle obliterated? It can fry a witch, but nothing else? What the hell? Sorry, off that tangent.
But, if you don't have enough Power of Love points, you end up like Ma-Ti. Lame and just... sad. I mean, in the olden times, every time anyone gave Eros (Cupid) guff for his power, he'd take out an arrow and show them just how powerful love can be... usually resulting in something pretty hilarious, sick, perverted, sad or all of the above.
Let's not forget how everyone constantly berates Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer who essentially is the butt-monkey of the group with no supernatural powers. Even in Season Seven some people treated him like crap after he saved the world by loving Willow even when she was evil.
Oh, and don't get me started on Charmed where the Power of Love is the power the Whitelighters have. What powers do they get from the Power of Love? Healing and teleportation. The most powerful force in world, even according to that universe's standards... and all you can do is heal? I get that healing is pretty pimped up stuff. No one else can do it... but still. These folks are supposed to be guardian angels that help you on the path to good. Had Aaron Spelling ever heard the phrase "good isn't always nice"?
So what do I want to read about?
1.) The Power of Love being applied to all kinds of love, not just romantic love.
2.) The Power of Love being used less as a deus ex machina and more as something built up to that makes sense within the given universe.
3.) The Power of Love actually being as, you know, powerful as everyone says it should be.
4.) The Power of Love just generally being used intelligently if it has to be used at all.
Can I get that? Please?
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